The search of companies for innovative solutions to complex and common problems in the day-to-day of modern business is enormous.
Therefore, most leaders and those responsible for taking certain types of decisions are formed by people who have creative, critical and quick thinking.
However, at some point the blockage arrives and the difficulty of solving problems increases more and more.
With this in mind, it is necessary to structure new working conditions and models to resolve these issues.
Among them, the Design Thinking process is essential for companies that need more innovation and competitive advantage.
What is Design Thinking?
Design Thinking is the name given to a process of critical and creative thinking that allows the organization of ideas that help in decision making.
It is important to make it clear that it is not a method to be followed, like a cake recipe, but rather a way of approach to better help with solutions.
This model can increase insights and how to apply them.
The main concept of Design Thinking is that the process is carried out in a collaborative and collective way, gathering as much information and perspectives as possible.
There are different moments and actions where companies apply Design Thinking, one of them is in solving problems independent of their size and magnitude.
Through different perspectives it is possible to have a bigger vision and a clearer solution.
Another common way to use this process is in the design and creation of new products and services.
With the participation of all areas of the organization, it is possible to add value to the items that are being created, increasing the chances of success.
Let’s make it clear that each case is different, the important thing is for the company to follow the process in the way that best suits its way of working, there is no correct formula to follow and implement Design Thinking, but there are some steps that can help you in this process.
The 4 Steps of Design Thinking
As we said before, there is no process to be faithfully followed for you to start applying Design Thinking in your company, however there are some steps that if you follow can facilitate the implementation and the results.
Immersion
This first step can be considered one of the most important because it is through it that you will go deeper into everything that happens within the company.
We suggest you carry out a SWOT analysis, which maps your business’ strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities, in addition to presenting an internal view referring to outside perspectives, ie, how people are seeing your business.
Thinking about having this perspective, always collect feedback from customers, employees, non-customers and prospects, delve into the company’s organizational policy.
With all this vision of your business, it will be possible to create more accurate solutions to the problems they used to face.
But don’t forget to NEVER forget to analyze behavioral scenarios in the region and in the country, this influences many aspects of the points you will analyze.
Ideation
After the immersion, you and your team will have already been able to see which points need urgent attention and change, which ones can stay longer in the future and which ones do not need to be moved.
By identifying this part, you are already able to start with the ideation that is nothing more than putting into practice the ideas you had regarding the conflicts identified in step 1.
When it comes to bringing out ideas, it is important to use techniques such as big data to increase the chances of success for ideas and reach the desired goal.
Prototyping
After joining ideas, it’s time for the team to get together and define which of these ideas can bring more results for the business.
For the main idea to have a good result, it is necessary to create prototypes and go on testing, so as the results delivered, it is possible to improve at each stage and in the delivery, there will be few or no flaws that will have to be adjusted.
If it is a service, your prototype can be something more visual and theoretical, such as graphics, images that represent the expected result of that service.
Development
The last step is the time to get everything off the paper, have done all the tests and put it into practice!
It is at this stage that you will launch your product or service and you will need to use all methods to draw the public’s attention to it, such as marketing actions, actions with existing customers, presenting to employees, and so on.
However, it is not because this stage has reached the end that the whole process has come to an end, quite the contrary, it is necessary to continue measuring and monitoring the performance of this new merchandise or service.
The benefits of investing in Design Thinking
We all know that a company evaluates its profits and investments through the return it gets for me. io of its sales, costs, and so on.
This is where Design Thinking comes in, as its implementation cost is extremely low and the result it brings to your business in the face of competition is enormous.
And this can actually be a differential for your company to put itself ahead of its main competitors, resulting in greater profit, a stronger brand.
In addition to benefits in terms of money and image in the market, design thinking manages to aggregate and engage employees from all areas and the result becomes very positive.
Because, employees will feel valued by the company and this motivates them to increasingly embrace the organization’s purpose, making the journey to the main objective even faster and more efficient.
What Design Thinking Provides for Your Company
Currently, this theme is widespread, especially among companies that have a product vision.
With this article, we now know what Design Thinking is and what it works for, but if you are still in doubt about how this process can help your company, it is worth highlighting some benefits:
Understanding customers: Design Thinking allows the business to be seen from the outside in, that is, the view of those who are being impacted from outside the company. With this, you can understand the types of customers you have and attract, in addition to being able to create a greater experience for them and deliver more value.
Understanding the business: Understanding the people inside the business/company is essential to map work processes and thus be able to understand what can or cannot be done and improved.
Co-create solutions: This is where it is possible to suggest process improvements along the company’s culture in collaboration with internal and external business teams.
3 tools that can be used in the Design Thinking process
To finish the topic, still talking about how to structure this Design Thinking process, it is important to define the tools that best suit the reality of each product to be used at this time:
Brainstorm
Brainstorming is a group dynamic that consists of sharing ideas and solutions to a problem the team is facing.
These are sessions without any kind of judgment of what is right or wrong, as the literal translation says “brainstorm”.
Mental Maps
Mind maps are very effective in organizing, developing ideas and thoughts. The goal is to make the whole creation process visibly, as clear as possible, and it can be very useful for new insights along this Design Thinking process;
Co-creation with Clients
It has become increasingly common for users and consumers to participate in the creative process of the project, whether it is a product or a service.
This is because you will have a view of your brand from the outside world of your business. In addition, your customers can bring great insights into the evolution of your project, as their vision is completely different from that formed by the organization’s stakeholders.
And if you still have difficulty finding the ideal model to improve the results of your business or digital product, make an appointment with us.
In a brief diagnosis, we help you draw up a concrete action plan to give you more results and a competitive advantage. Come and chat with us!
